Voting-machine.



W H. DANA VOTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED PEB. 19, 1912.

Patented Aug. 25, 1914.

7 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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INVENTOR.

IVTNESSES ATTORNEY.

TME :.QRRIS P n Rf: no. pHoro-1:7140, WASHINGTON, D C.

W. H. DANA.

VOTING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED Imm, 1912.

Patented Aug. 25, 1914.

7 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

JNVENTOR, ff/4M .7n ma J3 ATTOR NEY.

WTNESSES CNW m Q2 www W. H. DANA.

VOTING MACHINE.

APPLIUATION FILED PBB.19,1912.

1, 1 08,49 1 Patented Aug. 25, 1914.

7 SII-EBTS`SHBET 3.

ATTORNEY.

rnb #.ORRIS PETERS CD.. PHOTO-HTMC.. WASHINGTUN, D. C.

W. H.. DANA.

VOTING MACHINE.

-APPLICATION-FILBD 'BB.1S, 1912. l 1,108,491 Patented Aug. 25, 1914.

7 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

[NVEN TOR.

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W. H. DANA.

VOTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FLED FEB.19,1912. l l 08,49 l Patented Aug. 25, 1914.

7 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

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ATTORNEY.

THE LORRIS PETERS PHDTOAUTMO.` WASHINGTON. D. C.

W. H. DANA.

VOTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED Humo, 1912.

Patented Aug. 25, 1914 7 SHEETS-SHEET 6.

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ATTORNEY WTNESSES MM MMA KJ/M226 THE .,'uRRls PETERS ca., PHDTU-LITHO,WASHINGIUN. D. C,

W. H. DANA.

VOTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED rBB.19,1912.

1, 1 08,49 l Patented Aug. 25, 1914.

7 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

UNITED STATES ,PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. DANA, OF DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO LEOPOLD RAUH, 0F DAYTON,OHIO.

VOTING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 25, 1914.

Application filed February 19, 1912. Serial No.A 678,503.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. DANA, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of the city of Dayton, 1n the county of Montgomery and State.of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inVoting-Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, formingpart of ths specification.

My invention relates to certain improvements in voting machines of thehorizontal type, in which lthe voting levers for the various tickets ofthe several parties at any election are arranged in horizontal rows,with the offices arranged in vertical rows, and the object of thepresent invention is to improve the construction and operation of theindividual and straight ticket voting devices, and the means forpreventing the operation of more than a predetermined number of votinglevers in any selected row.

My invention consists of the novel construction and arrangement of partsto be hereinafter particularly pointed out and claimed whereby theseresults are attained.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a portion of myimproved voting machine, showing a portion of the voting levers and keyplates. Fig. 2 is a similar front elevation, with parts of the keyplates broken away. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross section, taken on thelines 3, 3, of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section, taken on thelines 4, 4, of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section, taken on thelines 5, 5, of Fig. 6, and Fig. 6 is a rear elevation of a portion ofthe machine showing the interlocking devices arranged to conform to theposition of the voting levers illustrated in Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is atransverse vertical section, taken on the lines 7, 7, of Fig. 6. Figs. 8and 9 are rear elevations of a portion of the machine showing theinterlocking devices as arranged for primary voting. Figs. 10 and 11 aredetail transverse sections, taken on the lines 11, 11, of Fig. 2,showing a straight ticket voting lever, with the coiled spring omittedin Fig. 2. Fig. 12 is a plan view of one of the straight ticket votingbars. Figs. 13, 14 and 15 are details of the straight ticket votinglever constructions. Figs. 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 and 24 aredetails of the individualvoting lever construction, as illustratedassembled in Flg. 3. Figs. 25, 26, 27, 'p

28, 29, 30, 31 and 32 are detail perspective views of thev primaryinterlocking device, showing the various parts and method of assemblingthe same.

The operating parts of the voting machine are inclosed in the usualrectangular case, made of light framework and supported at a properheight from the ground by suitable standards. As my invention relates todetails ofconstruction, I have not thought it necessary to illustratethe complete voting machine. Running from top to bottom of thisframework vertically, and a proper distance apart to form the divisionbetween ythe office rows, are a series of guide bars 19, provided withside grooves 18, for the reception of the slidable plates which form theprimary interlocking devices of my construction. Riveted to these guidebars and extending horizontally across the framework are a series ofZ-bars 35, which divide the framework into horizontal spaces ofsufficient width to receive the voting lever constructions for the partyrows. Upon these Z-bars, the front key plates of the machine aresecured, which consist of plates 150, one for each party row, fittedclosely together to form the front plate construc-r tionv of themachine, and in these plate the voting levers are mounted. The frontface of each key plate is furnished with a plate or metal strip 2, toform a division between the party rows, and upon each of these plates isriveted a guide plate 3 to provide a guide for the nger in voting thevarious key levers.

The individual voting levers and their various parts are separatelyillustrated in Figs. 18 to 24 inclusive. These individual levers are allconstructed in the same way, and comprise the actuating lever arm 6,which is mounted on shaft 8, which has its bearing in a suitable openingin the key plate. The shaft 8 inside the key plate carries an arm 9 witha sleeve 10 projecting inwardly parallel to the shaft 8, and this sleeve10 carries a screw 11 which may be advanced or retracted. An openingFigs. 16 and 17 is formed in the key plate in line with this screw whenit is in normal position, so that in order to lock the key levers out ofoperation, the screw can be turned until the head projects into theopening in the key plate, as shown in Fig. 16. The screw can also beadjusted so that the head of the screw will clear the opening in the keyplate while at the same time the inner end of the screw will clear theopenings 151 in the straight ticket bar 13, which is mounted for lateraladjustment by a pin and slot connection with the framework, and isarranged to be actuated by the straight ticket lever, as hereinafterdescribed, to actuate all ot the individual voting levers in anyparticular party row. l3nt where there is any provision ot the law thata straight ticket cannot be voted for any particular oilice, then thesescrews are adjusted so that the individual levers will not be actuatedby the straight ticket bar.

Mounted on the shait 8, inside the arm 9 of the individual ticket leveris a plate, shown separately in Fig. 23 and shown mounted in Fig. :20.rlhis plate carries a pin 40, which makes connection with the countingmechanism for registering the vote, and which also actuates theinterlocking mechanism to prevent more than a predetermined number ofvoting levers being actuated in any particular row. llhe lower end otthe back portion 12 of this plate is nor mally held in engagement withthe sleeve 10 by the coiled spring 14, one end ot which bears on theupper edge of the back portion of the plate and the other end engagesthe sleeve 10. llt will be evident from this construction that the pin10 in its movement will have a resilient connection with the votinglever so that as hereinafter described, any undue strain on the votinglevers cannot be brought to bear on the interlocking devices which arein Contact with the pins 40. Each horizontal row oit voting levers ispro fided with a straight ticket bar 13, iormed with recesses on itsupper edge, but leaving the contact shoulders 53, one tor each ticketlever, and the screws 11 of each individual lever normally project infront ot these shoulders Each of these bars is held in position bysuitable screws taking through slots 15 in the bar, and at one end eachstraight ticket bar has an upwardly projecting arm 54 which is contactedwith and actuated by its respective straight ticket ler'er, that withthe movement of the straight icket lever all oi the individual levers inthe particular party row will be actuated. These straight ticket leversare oit the same general construction as the individual leverscomprising an arm 5G, mounted on a shaft 16 and carrying arms 20 and11G. The arm 2O carries the screw 21, the head of which is arranged tobe projected through an opening 22 Fig. 10 in the key platecorresponding to the opening GO ior the individual levers, so that thestraight ticket lever can be locked from movement by bringing the headot the screw into this opening. The other arm 116 is arranged to contactwith the upwardly projecting arm 54 on its particular straight ticketbar. The conta ting surface ot this arm is termed of very shortcurvature near the axis oit the lever, and of long curvatureas thedistance increases trom the center. The eifect oit this construction isillustrated in the three positions of the straight ticket lever shown in2, and marked A, B and C. ln the position ot the straight ticket leverimirked i in liig. 2, we have the lever in its normal position. Theposition ot the lever marked C in 2 shows the lever actuated halt itsstroke, and it will be seen that the contacting point of the arm on thestraight ticket bar with the lever arm 11G is only slightly farther fromthe axis of the lever than at the commencement of the stroke, while inthe last position of the straight ticket lever marked B in Fig. 2, thepoint oit' contact is near the outer end et the arm 116. `With thisconstruction, will be seen that the greatest amount of leverage isobtained at the beginning of the stroke ot the straight ticket lever, asit should be, because it then has to start the movement ot the keylevers and their interlocking rlevices, and that the leverage decreasesduring the last halt stroke, inasmuch as the torce required to completethe movement is very much less than that required in the start.

rlhe primary interlocking devices which are employed to prevent theoperation of more than the desired number or" voting levers areillustrated in their several parts and as assembled in Figs. 25 to 32inclusive. Each interlocking device, ot which there is one for eachindividual key lever, is made up of a plate 23, provided with atransverse groove at its upper end and a block Q15 having a beveledsurface 26 at its lower end. The plate Q3 carries at its upper end thelaterally slidable plate 2i' with a vertical slot 28 therein, with itsupper edge cut away and beveled at 29 to engage tne beveled surface 2Gon the interlocking device immediately above it. The plate 27 isprovided with a tongue 30 which tits in the groove 2Liothe plate 23, anda pin 31 cn the plate 23 in the groove projects into the cut-out portion39; of the tongue 30, so that when the two plates are iitted together,as shown in Fic'. 2S, the upper plate 27 will have a lateral movementfrom side to side on the plate 23. To hold the parts in position, lprovide the cover plate 33 which is riveted on the plate through therivet openings 34E. rlhese devices comprising the fixed plate and thelaterally movable plate comprise the primary interlocking sevices, ofwhich there is one ior each individual key lever, and tiese interlockingdevices are mounted in each vertical row in the grooves 18 of the guidebars 10. is mounted in normal position, the beveled surface 25 at thelower end of one device engages with the beveled surface 29 on the upperedge of the movable plate of the device neXt below it, and it will beevident that as any movable plate 27 is shifted laterally, the beveledsurfaces will pass each other, and the interlocking devices will beseparated the distance between the contacting surfaces at each side ofthe beveled portion. The normal position of these primary interlockingdevices is illustrated in the vertical column marked A29 in Fig. 6,while the other position is indicated in the columns marked A28 and A30in said Fig. 6. This space or movement of the interlocking devices'Idesignate as the unit space or unit movement.

The uppermost interlocking device for each ofiice row is not providedwith the sliding plate 27, but there is substituted therefor the deviceillustrated in Fig. 30. This device comprises a plate 39, formed withside grooves 36, cut away at 37 at its rear portion, carrying a plate 38which is provided with a flange 42 at its upper edge carrying a contactplate 43. The plates 38 and 39 are drilled with a series of holesindicated in Fig. 30 by the letters and numerals 0, l, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,' Rand L. These holes are designed to receive the pin 44, which is passedthrough the plate and rests on the upper edge kof the uppermost plate33, as shown in Fig.

The contact plates 43 bear upon the pins 45 of the respective cam plates46 which are mounted with their hubs 47 in a horizontal groove in thecam plate holder 48 which is secured horizontally to the frameworkacross the upper end of the rows of primary interlocking plates.

curved surface 49 of the next adjacent plate, and the cam plates arepivotally mounted by pins 50 inserted through the hubs of the cam platesand the plate holder, and when so pivoted, the cam plates are designedto allow the movement of the primary interlocking plates a single unitspace, but for the purpose of grouping together any desired number ofprimary interlocking devices of selected oice rows, these pivot pins 50can be withdrawn and inserted in holes 51 Fig. 9 in the plate holdersdesigned to carry them, and in this event the construction of the camplates is such that the particular cam plate which is free to movelaterally will allow a movement of two unit spaces in the particularoffice row of primary interlocking devices which it controls. Thisconstruction for the grouping together of office rows forms no part ofmy present invention and need not be further described.

The advantages derived from my novel construction and the operation ofthe several parts can be better understood by a description of themethod of preparing the The hubs 47 I `of these cam plates 46 bearagainst the ballots and voting levers for an election. In

the irst place, I slide into the grooves 52, Fig. 7, a printed stripwith the titles of the oiices that are to be voted on, generally calledthehead of the ticket, so that the vertical lines of the strip registerwith the vertical lines of the metal strip 151 as shown in Fig. l. Inlike manner, I mount the several ballot strips for the various partynominees,-as illustrated, a Republican ballot strip in the next spacebeneath the head of the ticket strip. Then the screws l1 carried by thevoting levers are adjusted for any vertical column containing a list ofoilicers for which office the elector is required by law to voteseparately therefor,-for example, in the column marked 3() for Board ofEducation in Fig. l, this adjustment is made to withdraw the screws ofthese particular voting levers from contact with the shoulders on thestraight ticket voting bar 13. `Also for any party columns that are notto be used, or for locking all the party levers when the machine isbeing set up for a primary election, the screws are adjusted so as tolock the voting levers to the key plate. I then insert the Democraticballot strips which cover up the holes 60, and for any space for whichthere is no candidate, I lock the voting lever to the key plate by itsscrew 1l.

In Fig. 2 the uppermost of the individual voting levers on the left isshown in its normal or unvoted position, with the spring 14 and theplate 81 mounted on the shaft 8, and the lower end of the plate beingpressed firmly against the arm 10 of the voting lever. The pin 40 of thevoting lever as shown in Fig. 3 is then projected through the slot 28 ofthe movable member 27 of its primary interlocking device, so that themovement of the voting lever into voted position, as shown in Fig. 2 onthe right in column A, will cause the movable plate 27 of theinterlocking device to shift laterally, as shown in Fig. 6 in theinterlocking device marked B2S. In this same Fig. 6, the plate markedB20 shows the interlocking device in its normal position.-

In the position of the primary interfering plate marked B30 in Fig. 6,the key lever has only been moved one half of its full movement, yet itwill be seen that the plate 27 with the half movement has raised theinterfering plate above it the unit space,I and it is, therefore, thefirst half movement of the voting lever which shifts the inter,- feringplates.

The raising of the primary interlocking devices by the movement of anyindividual voting lever raises the uppermost plate by contact with thepin 44, which for normal operation is placed in the hole marked l onthis plate. These holes in the plates 38 are arranged for the amount ofunit space'I To hold the various primary interlocking devices underproper tension, each of the devices 39 Fig. 7 is provided with a pin 76,and between this pin and a stud 77 on the inner surface of the keyplate, a coiled spring 7 3 bears, the various springs 7 8 being mountedon screw studs 79, secured in the upper end of the guide bars 19.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

l. In a voting machine, the combination of a series of key plates, onefor each party row, running horizontally across the machine, a` seriesof transverse guide bars, said bars .having grooves, a series ofinterlocking plates, one series for each office row mounted in saidgrooves, each key plate having a web near its upper edge, a party lever,and a series of individual voting levers rotatably mounted beneath saidweb, one for each olice row, with means intermediate the individualvoting levers and the interfering plates to resiliently actuate thesame, as and fore the purpose set forth.

2. In a voting machine, the combination of straight ticket voting leversrotatably mounted, one for each party row, each lever having an armcarrying a screw, also another arm having an elongated radial bearingsurface and a slidable and automaticlly returnable bar, with which saidlatter arm engages, said bar having a series of transverse bearingsurfaces, as and for the purposes set forth.

3. In a voting machine, the combination of a straight ticket bar, withbearing surfaces thereon, a series of voting levers rotatably mountedand arranged in party and office rows, each lever having an arm carryinga screw pin, said pin normally to be engaged bv its respective bearingsurface of the straight ticket bar, whenever the said bar is beingoperated, by means of its respective party lever and adapted to bewithdrawn from said bearing surface, as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a voting machine, the combination with a series of interlockingplates, of a series of voting levers rotatably mounted, arranged inparty and office rows, said levers havingr a shaft, with aspring-pressed plate mounted thereon, said plate carrying an actuatingpin to engage with and resiliently actuate its respective interlockingplate, whenever the said lever is operated, as and for the purpose setforth.

5. In a voting machine, the combination of a straight ticket voting bar,and a series of voting levers, rotatably mounted, in party and officerows, said levers having a shaft, with a spring-pressed plate carryingan actuating pin mounted therein, the said shaft having an arm carryinga screw pin capable of being adjusted for engagement or disengagementwith the said bar, as and for the purpose set forth.

G. In a voting machine, the combination of a series of voting levers,rotatably mounted, in party and otlice rows, said levers having a shaft,with a spring-pressed plate, mounted thereon and carrying an actuatingpin, the said shaft having an arm carrying a screw pin, said pin beingcapable of being adjusted, so as to enter a hole or aperture in thefront wall or key plate for the purpose of locking its respective leveragainst movement.

7. In a voting machine, the combination with a series of interlockingplates, of a series of voting levers, rotatably mounted, in party andoffice rows, with an actuating pin on each lever to engage itsrespective interlocking plate, a series of vertical bars, havinglongitudinal grooves, and a series of bifurcated rectangular platesslidably mounted therein, said plates having near their lower end arectangular abutting surface beveled at one end, and a transversemovable member secured to its upper end, said member having alongitudinal slot, through which extends the actuating pin of itsrespective voting lever, the upper end of the said movable member havinga beveled oifset near the center' of its rectangular abutting surface,normally meshing with the rectangular and beveled surface of the plateabove it, and to cause all the said plates to move upward one unit spacewhenever the said movable member is shifted from its normal to a votedposition by means of its respective voting lever, as and for the purposespecified.

WILLIAM H. DANA.

Attest EDM. F. ARRAS, CLiNToN H. GooGiNs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C."

